1. Field
Methods and apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to acquiring an optimal multi-energy X-ray (MEX) image that may optimize various variable imaging parameters, and may acquire an image optimized to a characteristic of an object, to improve a quality of a final image.
2. Description of the Related Art
X-rays are widely used in various fields, for example, to obtain medical information of patients.
X-rays are generated while an electron generated in a cathode filament is bumped against an anode target. When the generated X-rays are irradiated to an object, the X-rays are attenuated based on a material and characteristic of the object, and X-rays passing through the object form an image on a detector installed behind an object.
Many X-ray systems display images by using an attenuation characteristic that is detected when the X-rays with a single energy band pass through an object. In the above X-ray systems, when materials forming the object have different attenuation characteristics, an image with a good quality may be obtained. However, when the materials have similar attenuation characteristics, a quality of an image may be degraded.
A MEX system may acquire an X-ray image of at least two energy bands. Since materials typically exhibit different X-ray attenuation characteristics in different energy bands, images can be separated for each material.
A MEX technology is used to increase a contrast between materials using a difference in absorption characteristics of materials of a human body changed based on energy. A related art MEX technology uses two methods: a multiple exposure method and a single exposure method.
However, in a MEX system, a great number of imaging parameters may need to be selected. The imaging parameters may include, for example, a source parameter, such as a tube voltage, a tube current, a filter, and the like, and a detector parameter, such as an energy threshold of a photon counting detector (PCD), and the like.
Additionally, noise, contrast enhancements, and image processing of an original MEX image may cause deterioration in quality of a finally obtained image. Thus, to improve the quality of the final image based on the selected an imaging parameter, it is desirable to select an optimal imaging parameter to obtain a final image of a high quality.
In a related art method of selecting a single imaging parameter, such as in an automated exposure control (AEC) method, an imaging parameter of an X-ray tube, for example a tube voltage, a tube current, an exposure time, and the like may be selected.
A related art dual or multi-energy imaging method is limited to a parameter selection of an X-ray source, for example, a dual tube voltage, a dual exposure, a dual layer, a dual source scheme and the like.